Local Nature Recovery Strategies by Sue Beale

1. www.gov.uk/natural-england
Local Nature Recovery Strategies
Sue Beale – Manager Kent & Sussex
Friday 11th December 2020

2. New suite of tools under the Environment Bill

3. Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRSs)
• LNRSs are going to cover the whole of England – no gaps or
overlaps
• The Secretary of State will appoint a “responsible authority”
to lead production of each Strategy from the list of potential
public bodies set out in the Bill.

4. What do the they cover?
Each strategy will, for the area that it
covers;
1. Agree priorities for nature’s recovery,
2. Map the most valuable existing habitat
for nature;
3. Map specific proposals for creating or
improving habitat for nature and wider
environmental goals.

5. Pilots
Defra is working with Natural England and local partner organisations
to pilot the creation of Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRSs) in 5
locations in F/Y 2020/21. The locations are:
• •Buckinghamshire;
• •Cornwall;
• •Cumbria;
• •Greater Manchester; and
• •Northumberland
The pilots are testing the policy and inform future national
implementation once the Environment Bill receives royal assent.

6. Step by step process for the pilots

7. Statement of Biodiversity Priorities
• •An overall description of the strategy area –drawing on existing planning
documents.
• •A description of ecological sub-areas how their distribution has changed
over time and anticipated future changes due to climate change & other
known pressures.
• •A broad assessment of the opportunity for linking, increasing or
improving the condition of each key habitat.
• •A description of the wider environmental issues for which the creation or
improvement of habitats could help provide a nature-based solution (e.g.
climate & flood mitigation).
• •The outcomes –both for nature and the wider natural environment –that
the LNRS is seeking to achieve, can be specific (e.g. X pairs of
nightingales) or strategic (e.g. sequester carbon by planting native trees).
• •The potential measures by which the creation or improvement of key
habitats can deliver both priority and other desired outcomes

8. The key policy needs each strategy needs to meet
• Identify practical action to deliver the Nature
Recovery Network and track progress in its
establishment over time.
• Identify the ‘strategic locations’ for habitat creation
to be incorporated into the biodiversity net gain
metric.
• Help local planning authorities understand the
locations important for conserving and enhancing
biodiversity.
• Be a useful tool for identifying locations to meet
wider environmental objectives, including tree
planting, peatland restoration and natural flood
management.
• Provide outputs that can inform spatial prioritisation
in the new Environmental Land Management
scheme.

9. Delivery Plans will deploy of the
range of mechanisms to deliver
aspirations, including...
Using ELM
District Level Licencing
Compensation Habitat
Carbon Sequestration with
Enhanced Woodland and
Heathland
Green Infrastructure
Net Gain Compensation
Habitat
Water Company Funding
Aquifer Recharge and WQ
Flood budget funding
catchment roughening
Peat Restoration
through Peat
Strategy
Site of Alternate
Natural Green
Space

10. Timings
The five current pilots need to be completed by the end of March 2021.
Environment Bill – Royal assent
Consultation on statutory guidance
LNRSs commence – April 2022?

11. Important points
• LNRSs are non-binding.
• No-one will be directly required to deliver any individual action from
the strategy.
• A new duty will be placed on all public bodies to have regard to any
relevant LNRSs
• Local authorities and other public bodies designated by the
Secretary of State will also have to report on what steps they have
taken, at least every 5 years.

12. LNRSs and the Nature Recovery Network?
• LNRS will map the developing Nature Recovery Network, providing a
statutory spatial framework for restoring and creating thriving, resilient
landscapes rich in wildlife which will benefit our health and wellbeing.
• The Nature Recovery Network is a single, national network which will
benefit people and wildlife by increasing, improving and joining-up wildlife-
rich places across England.
• A major commitment in the Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan.
• The LNRS will provide an integrated system which aligns support and
funding mechanisms to deliver the Nature Recovery Network